Referee charity head defends assistant referee after incident with Andy Robertson: “It’s been blown out of proportion”

Following an incident between Liverpool’s Andy Robertson and assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis, the head of a referees’ charity has stated that Hatzidakis has been punished “enough” after being stood down while an investigation is carried out.

The incident occurred on Sunday during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, in which Robertson seemed to be elbowed by Hatzidakis.

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett said that Hatzidakis’ career “could be in jeopardy” if found guilty, however, Martin Cassidy, the chief executive officer of Ref Support UK, disagreed, saying the situation has been blown out of proportion.

Cassidy also called for the introduction of an “exclusion zone” around referees to prevent players from getting too close.